Originally compiled from: NBA
Originally written by Steve Aschburner
原文标题：Series preview: Celtics, Heat clash again for Eastern Conference title
There was a 113-day gap between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat's last game in January to Wednesday's first game of the Eastern Conference Finals. It's been an eternal process throughout the NBA's long season, with both teams adjusting, changing, improving and strengthening over the course of nearly 4 months.
The third meeting in the past 4 years
But the two teams are no strangers to each other, this is their third time in four years for a place in the finals, and most of their players have gone through the previous two matches.
Back in the 2020 park playoffs, the Heat advanced in six games and gained an advantage in a neutral environment. Last spring, the Celtics led 3-2 and lost their sixth game at home, forcing the team to go on a tie-break before winning the game in Miami and securing a ticket to the Finals.
But it's not simply a repeat of the past, with Jaylen Brown saying don't assume that a year-old storyline will necessarily apply now. After the seven-win run, Brown said, "Everything last year didn't matter, and Miami thought so. I think they will stand up and be ready to fight. If anything, it's to make up for last year's regrets. So, we just need to stand up with a fresh mindset and execute the task well. Heat coach Spoelstra said, "It's really hard to get to the Eastern Conference Finals, but when you take a step like that, we're very grateful because there are a lot of teams that want to be in this position. ”
In the regular season, the record between the two teams was a 2-2 draw, which can be said to be difficult to distinguish. There are three main highlights of this series:
Miami's defense of Tatum
Defensively standing up, this is the way the Heat have always insisted on winning, Tatum slammed 51 points in the best-of-seven game, setting the NBA all-time record for the most points scored in a single game. Limiting the opposing team's supergiant is the biggest challenge facing the Heat, and Brunson still remembers the performance of 41 points in the face of the Heat's various defensive bombardments, but fortunately the Knicks did not step up and the Heat were lucky to pass the hurdle. Compared to Brunson, Tatum has a lot of helpers around him.
Celtics adjust their starters
In Game 6 against the 76ers, Celtics coach Joe Mazura made a bold change by letting Lowe start and partner Horford inside, a strategy that worked last spring and was successful again, keeping the 76ers out of the East finals. Against the Heat, Mazura brought White back to the start, and partnering Smart, Tatum, Brown and Horford might work better. That could allow the Heat to make targeted adjustments, putting Martin on the start, partnering Butler, Strus, Adebayo and Vincent.
Coach fighting method
The 34-year-old has put title coach Rivers to shame, and Rivers is one of the 15 biggest coaches in league history. Now, he faces perhaps the league's best head coach Spoelstra. From Miami's adjustments in the series, their form has been climbing. In fact, before the playoffs began, few could have expected the Heat to get this far.
The X factor
For the Heat, will Jimmy get enough scoring sharing in the playoffs? Butler's toughness on the playoff stage has been impressive, averaging 31.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting 52.7 percent from the field. So far, he has scored 56, 42 and 35 points in a single game in the playoffs this season. However, since he sprained his ankle in his first game with the Knicks, Butler has averaged just 24.5 points per game since then, shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 1-of-8 from three-point range.
As a result, it becomes extremely important for the Heat to have other players who can step up. Adebayo is likely to share Butler's burden, averaging 25 points per game against the Celtics in the regular season. Dunroe's resurrection gave the Heat another seat, and in the last two playoff rounds, Dunroe's three-point shooting percentage increased from 32.8 percent in the regular season to 42.6 percent in the playoffs, for a total of 26 of 61 shooting. Moreover, this season's playoff Heat outscored opponents by 16.8 points in 194 minutes with Dunroe on the floor, ranking first among 138 players who averaged at least 10 minutes per game in the playoffs.
On the Celtics side, as the best sixth man, Brogdon outscored opponents by 11.4 points per 100 games in 361 minutes of playoff minutes, and his performance on the outside surpassed Dunroe, and so far in the playoffs, Brogdon has shot 30 of 69 from three-point range, shooting 43.5% from three-point range.
The playoffs also compete with the performance of role players, and who will be the X-factor of the two teams also affects the direction of the game.
The Celtics won 6 games
Yes, the Heat are the team that has improved the most in the playoffs, and Brogdon said that it will be up to who will be tougher this round? Who will play harder than the other teams? Compared to the Heat, the Celtics have thicker bench depth, more balanced offense and defense, and the 76ers who are seven in a tiebreaker have given them a surge in confidence, and the Celtics are expected to win six games in this series.